STEM of History: Sam Kean

In this episode, Mr. Lowe interviews Mr. Kean about his 2010 book, The Disappearing Spoon: and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Mr. Kean begins by deciphering the complex origins of the table in the 1860s and early 1870s and perfected by Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleev.  Since its development and evolution over the past 150 years, the Periodic Table of the Elements continues to be one of the most important achievements to science.  This conversation helps illustrate the usefulness of understanding the basic science of the Periodic Table, and characteristics of its elements, when researching and studying history.